Inside the Making of a Jazz Masterpiece

The word "timeless" has become a cliché, a selling tool for luxury goods. And yet Kind of Blue is a timeless album, and "So What" arguably its signature number. What is this about? For sixty years and more, jazz and popular music had consisted of songs that told stories, either explicitly—in lyrics—or in their construction. You knew how it turned out—maybe you knew before the song started—but hearing about it could make you forget your troubles for a while or identify with the singer's or the musician's troubles. But with Miles, in life and in art, it was always the thing withheld. The essence of "So What" was that you had no idea how it turned out, or if it turned out. Which was pretty much the way the world was looking at that moment, and maybe the way (you had to think) it was going to look from then on.

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE Miles Davis and the Recording of a Jazz Masterpiece The word "timeless" has become a cliché, a selling tool for luxury goods. And yet Kind of Blue is a timeless album, and "So What" arguably its signature number. What is this about? For sixty years and more, jazz and popular music had consisted of songs that told stories, either explicitly—in lyrics—or in their construction. You knew how it turned out—maybe you knew before the song started—but hearing about it could make you forget your troubles for a while or identify with the singer's or the musician's troubles. But with Miles, in life and in art, it was always the thing withheld. The essence of "So What" was that you had no idea how it turned out, or if it turned out. Which was pretty much the way the world was looking at that moment, and maybe the way (you had to think) it was going to look from then on. Read More Faherty's Sale Section Is Almost Entirely 50% Off Shop these styles before it's too late. Read More 'All Is Good' With Omar Sy The Lupin star on getting into character, personal style, and his custom Louis Vuitton look at the SAG Awards. Read More How the Most Harrowing Footage of the Russia-Ukraine War Earned an Oscar Nomination Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Mariupol, Ukraine. The siege was so quick—and the violence so indiscriminate—that only one video crew managed to get footage out of the city. Led by videographer and documentarian Mstyslav Chernov, a team of Associated Press journalists later put together video of their experience on the ground for a documentary titled 20 Days in Mariupol. The film, which debuted in August, has since been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards. "What you see on the screen is real," Chernov tells Esquire. "It's a symbol of what is still happening." Read More The 11 Best iPad Air Cases for When You're On-The-Go Keep your favorite piece of tech protected from any drops, spills, and mishaps. Read More Another Game of Thrones Prequel Is Coming to HBO A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the announcement we needed. Read More You Must Read Jay Rosen On NBC's Coverage of Trump's So-Called 'Pivot' The ever-essential Jay Rosen took to the electric Xwitter machine to vivisect truly terrible campaign journalism from the gang at NBC. Taking on the character of a "post-publication editor," Rosen has some notes for the sextet responsible for the aforementioned landfill. The first one is the most basic question of all: How did it possibly take six people to write this mess? Read More How satisfied are you with the content of this newsletter? Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779